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-2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

L. SGHMEISSER. Y

BEOOIL OPERATED FIREARM. No. 547,454.

,Patented 0013.8,1895.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Modl.) v L. SQHMEISSER.

RECOIL OPERATED IIREARM.

No; 547,454. Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

lizyeraiorx UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Louis SCIIMEISSER, or MANNIIEIM, ASSIGNOR TO 'ruuonon nnncnunn, or

,G GGENAU, GERMANY.

RECON OPERATED FIREARM.

srncmoa'riou forming art of Letters Patent No. 54%,454, dated October a, 1895.

Application filed January 20, 1894. Serial No. 497,523- (No model.) Patentedin France June 8,1893, No. 230,689; in Germany June 10, 1893, No. 78,500,5l1d February 13, 1894, No. 781881 in England June 12, 1.893, No- 11,509 r in Italy June 80,

1898, No. 84,238; in Belgium can" 31, 1898, no. 106,826, and May main. 109,829. in Switzerland December a, 1893, No. 7,201; in Austria May 31,1894. Ho- 44/ 2,000, and in Hungary June 36, 1894. H0. 878- .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS Scrmmssnn, gunmaker, a citizen of Germany,residin g at Mannheim, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Em-

pire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has been patented in Gerto many, No. 78,500, dated June 10, 1893, and No. 78,881, dated February 13, 1894; in Austria, No. 44 2,000, dated May 31, 1894; in Hungary, No. 678, dated J one 26, 1894; in Switzerland, No. 1,201, dated December 6, 15 1893; in France, No. 230,689, dated June 8, 1893; in England, No. 11,509, dated J une 12, 1893;. in Belgium, No. 106,826, dated October 31, 1893, and No. 109,829, dated May 15, 1894, and in Italy, No. 34,238, dated J une 30, 1803. My invention relates to a firearm in which the closing of the breech,the loading, and the cocking of the hammer is efiected by the gaspressure resulting from the explosion. It has been usual heretofore to oppose a resistance :5 as strong as possible to the pressure of the gases from the'rear or closing parts, so that said gas, after having yielded all its usefulness, could only escape through the front part. If the resistance is very great the breech is 0, opened either by hand or mechanically after each shot, and if slight, as in this class of arms, it is opened or loosened by the pressure of the gas and bolted or closed again by hand by a special mechanism or automatically. In the 5 improved system of breech-closing this resistance is made away with entirely, asthe same is based upon an entirely diflr'erent principle, to wit: the principle of the power of. resist r ance of bodies. The explosionof the powder 0 produces a pressure of gas in thecartridge or shell which works uniformly against all sides. According to the laws governing the power of resistance the smallest movable part that is exposed to that pressure will be put in motion the first. A breech-bolt bearing against the rear end of the barrel, the weight of which is a certain multiple of that of the projectile, is given a motion by the gas-pressure which is correspondingly slower than the lighter projectile-If now the proportion between theweight of the breech-bolt and that of the projectile is such that up to the time that said projectile leaves the barrel the brooch-bolt has been driven back only a short-wny,there will be no loss of the driving power of rogue, as the slowly backward moving breech-bolt, in combination with the shell pressed against its hearing, will produce a perfectly gas-tight closure at the rear. The further backward motion of the cylinder serves for reloading 6a of the firearm and for the compression of a spring, which brings the breech-bolt again in the closing position after it has reached its utmost rear point, and the arm is ready to be used again.

In the annexed drawings two forms of construction of the auto loading arm with the new breech-loading device are shown.v

Figure 1 is a side view of the arm, partly in section, with the breech closed. 'Fig. 2 is a side view with the breech-bolt and adjacent parts in section, said breeclvbolt being drawn back. Fig. 3 is a sectional view .on the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a horizontnlsection through the breech-bolt and frame. Figs. 7 5 5 and 8 are details of the same. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the muzzle of the barrel and of the frame of the spring. Fig.7 is a side view of a small hand-arm. Figs. 0, l0, and 11 are detail viewsof a safety-trigger. 8o

2 In the frame A, to which the barrel is fastenedand upon which the cartridge-magazine A is disposed, the breech-bolt l3 can move in a. straight line within certain limits. The frame A is cut out vertically and to theright, 8 so that the cartridges can be carried directly into the barrel and that the shells can be thrownout. 'lhe cartridges can be put into the magazine A one by one or by means of a loading-box. A spring-lover A presses the cartridges against the breech-bolt frame A, so that each time the breech-bolt ll advances one cartridge is pressed into the cartridgeseat A. The firing-pin b, it will be noticed, is not worked by a spring. It is located within 5 the breeclhbolt. For central percussion-cartridges it is located in the center, and for ourtridges having the percussion at the edge it .4, engaginga cut b' r e a-7,454

is located at'the edge. a The pin b can slightly .move axiallyin the bolt B, but its dropping out is prevented by a pin b', Figs. 2, 3, and of the pin b and screwed in the rear extremity of. the breech-bolt. Nearjts forward extremity the breech-bolt B has a cross-bore b, in which the striking-peg B, Figs. 1,, 2, 4, and 5, is arranged loosely. The pin b passes so that the latter is prevented from moving in the cylinder B. b, through which the ejection-bar a, Figs. 2 and 4, located at the rear wall of' the frame, passes. The breech-bolt B is p a similar groove, in which the forward part of the bara moves. The shell, which is driven back with the breech-bolt B by the gas resul-- in g from the explos'ion,'hits the nose'of the ejection-bar a and is ejected in the well-known manner, When the boltB moves backward, the estremity of the one side of the bolt, strikes-the frame A at a and limits the backward motion of the bolt.;, 'Ihebreech-boltEthat by its backward motion has cooked the hammer again, is connected loosely with a spring E, located under the barrel in the body of the pistol, by means of an outside "rod D, Figs. 1,2, 3, 4, 6, and 8, which spring carries back the breech-bolt to the closing 'positionof Fig. 1. As the hammer C, as well as the spring E, increases the .resisting power of the breech-bolt, the. weight of the latter can be somewhat reduced, The

screw-bolt b, with'its leaf b,' serves; for con necting the rod D with the bolt 3.. Therefore, in order to remove the breech-bolt it is only necessary to loosen the screwb, whereby the firing-pin b. becomes free also. In order to retain the closing-spring rod D in the right position where the breech-bolt is removed, the

same is provided with a cam that engages in a V corresponding groove of the cylinder-frameA'.

V d is a roughened surface disposed upon the rod D, which gives a better hold for the hand when it is required ,to keep the cylinder in the open position, Fig. 2.

l isa calk disposed at the side of the rod D, upon which the spring E works,and d'i's a rest for the leaf b of the screw b. The frame of the springE hasa side slot e, in which the stay (1, between the rod D and the calk d, Figs. 6 and 8, can slide. The firearm is-provided with a spring or cock-lock which differs only as far as the trigger apparatus is concerned from' the usual construction. It is a well-known fact that in auto-loading firearms the hammer is cocked so soon after the explosion that the finger cannot let the trigger go back quickly enough and that the disengaged sear F cannot catch in time into the top notch o of the hammer to hold it cocked. In order to insure engagement of the sear F in the top notch 0, even if the finger still rests upon the trigger, an intermediate piece H, worked bya spring; Is placed between through the striking-peg B,

The s op-pin has a groove provided withv pin B', that projects to nor that the connection between F andG can be interrupted for a moment. When the hamor (Ms cooked, the sear F engages in the top notch 0. intermediate piece II, that is revolubly' connected therewith, presses upon the tooth f of the sear F and lifts the latter from the top notch a, so that the hammer C, in consequence of the working of the spring 0' upon the same, drives the firing-pin forward, As the cocking of the hammer follows immediately after the trigger, the construction is such that as soon as the sear ate piece slides over the tooth f and the hammer can be cooked without working the trigger. ger, the piece II returns to its by means of the spring 71., trigger is ready for another In small firearms the original position after which the shot.

In this'case the intermediate piece is changed, into a rail H, upon they head of which the trigger G presses. The latter can be put in position (shown by dotted linesin Fig. 7) for the sake of carrying the arm conveniently. At the rear end of the rail-H a presser h is pivotally in its normal position, the spring h. After engaged the sear F ii: glides overthe tooth of the same, so that the sear F can at once catch again into the top notch of the cock. After the finger has released the trigger the rodspring' it brings the rail H back again in its original position. As soon as the presser h has passed under the cam f, a spring h carries it back again to its normal position, and

Fig. 7.

as shown in Fig.7, by

In order to prevent-the hammer (l'from operating prematurely, the firearm is provided with a trigger-safety, Figs. 9 to 11. A lover .I, that can revolve around a hinge t, is placed upon the back wall of the frame A. A spiof this lever, frame A. The longer arm of the lever 1, carrie's a teeth t", to catch into an openingc? in the hammer 0, so that it can hold the same in its cocked position. In the leverI another lever K is pivotally arranged, which carries a disk L, which rests upon the opening a or the get is brought into the trigger-guard, the disk the arm is ready to be shot off again.

frame in the position of rest. When the fin-v the frame and the tooth 1?.

the sear F and the trigger G in such a man- .76 If new the triggerG is pulled the the explosion and before thefing'er can release F is disengaged the'intermedi- When now the finger releases the t'rigtrigger may be ar-;;- ranged to'be. pushed forward,--as shown in.

disposed, which is'kept the presser It has disint spring if, that works upon the smaller arm tends to push it away from the rrs L is pushed aside and the lever K is pressed the original position, Figs. 9 and 11, thus caus ing the tooth {a to engage and hold the hammer cocked.

The firearm works as follows: At the moment that the firing-pin strikes the cartridge the powder that it contains explodes. The tension of the generated gas works forward upon the projectile and backward upon the bottom of the shell and through this upon the heavy breech-bolt, the resisting power of which is increased by the power of the closing-spring. The counter-pressure opposed to those gases in'front is therefore considerably less than the counter-pressure opposed at the rear. For this reason the backward motion is so slow that the projectile will already have left the barrel before the shell, resting against its bearing in the breechbolt, has been driven back so far that the gas can escape. There is thus no loss of the driving power for the projectile on account of the gas escaping at the rear. The empty shell is thrown out by the ejector when the cylinder moves backward and the arm is cooked again. I During the movement of the breech-bolt, which is infiuenced by the spring E and the rod D, a new cartridge is taken from the magazine and pushedinto the barrel. Thearm is ready to be fired again.

The advantage of the present construction compared with the firearms now in existence is its simplicity, which makes it very appropriate for military purposes. Besides the certainty of hitting the mark is increased, as the last injurious recoil is reduced to a minimum.

I claim-- 1. In combination in a fire arm, the reciprocating breech bolt, the firing pin and the stop pin B arranged in a lateral opening in the breech bolt and held by the firing pin, said stop pin being arranged to limit the movement of the breech bolt, substantially as described.

2. In combination in an automatic fire arm the sliding breech bolt, the spring for limiting the movement thereof and to place the same under tension and the rod D extending along the outside of the armto connect the breech bolt with the spring, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a fire arm, the breech bolt arranged to be pressed back by the gas resulting from the explosion, the spring for returning the breech bolt forward, the rod for connecting the breech bolt and spring, the firing pin and the. screw b for connecting the vrod andfiring pin with the breech bolt, said pin passing through an elongated cut in the firing pin, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of' two witnesses.

LOUIS. SCHMEISSER.

Witnesses:

. J OHANN SCHILBP, J r., A. B. BEYREUTHER. 

